Just used the $14 Harbor Freight Headlight Restore Kit and about 15 mins to "fix" my Mom's headlights on a '99 Camry.
So i read this thread when it started last week. Coincidentally i bought 2 new aftermarket headlights for my 03 jetta a few days before this thread. The original units were brown and full of moisture. They cheap LKQs were 80 bucks a piece. I was checking them out today and the salt/road spray was already starting to scratch them up. They were not smooth anymore..